Pickerington Local Schools

District hopes to name new treasurer by March

Pickerington Local Schools officials have enlisted the help of consultants in hopes of finding a new district treasurer by mid-March.

The Pickerington Local School District Board of Education recently contracted with the Ohio Association of School Business Officials and K-12 Business Consulting to aid in the search to replace Dan Griscom, who is retiring as district treasurer effective Feb. 1.

According to PLSD School Board President Lori Sanders, the board is in the initial phases of the search process. She said board members currently are gathering information to provide to the consultants related to expectations and ideal candidate qualifications for the new treasurer.

"They're getting information from the board to find out what we want," Sanders said.

As of Nov. 20, the board had not opened the application process for replacing Griscom, who last September announced he will retire from the district after serving as its treasurer since May 2008.

Griscom currently is a candidate for the New Albany-Plain Local School District's vacant treasurer's position.

Sanders said she expected the the district soon will begin soliciting applications for its impending vacancy in the treasurer's office, with a tentative eye on beginning interviews of top candidates in January.

She said the board hopes to announce Griscom's replacement by mid-March, but those plans are subject to change.

"The March 11 board meeting is our target," she said.

Under the terms of the contract, OASBO will receive up to approximately $6,500 for the search services, and that organization will pay K-12 Business Consulting.

However, the district only will be responsible $2,500 of that fee. The Fairfield County Educational Services Center will absorb the balance of cost.

The financial arrangement is cemented through a $601,680 contract the district entered into with Fairfield County ESC in fiscal year 2013 for services ranging from special-education programming and curriculum support to teacher training.

Sanders said the consultants will assist the board in negotiating a compensation package for the new treasurer.

Griscom receives an $104,500 annual salary, in addition to approximately $29,910 in annual benefits, according to the district's treasurer's office.

Sanders said an interim treasurer likely will be named if a full-time replacement hasn't been selected by the time Griscom leaves the district.

She said that should provide the board with adequate time to have a new treasurer in place well before the district has to close the financial books on the 2012-13 school year and prepare for the 2013-14 school year.

"We always have the ability or luxury of having an interim for a short period of time," Sanders said. "It's not a bad time if you do have to have an interim.

"As the treasurer/(chief financial officer) of a district with almost a $100-million (annual operations) budget, experience in that position is critical."